🎸 Survivor – Premonition (1981)
📀 Album Overview
Premonition is the second studio album by Survivor, released in 1981. This album represents a significant step forward for the band, refining their sound into a more polished AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) and arena rock style that would define their success in the early 1980s.
With stronger production and more radio-friendly songwriting, Premonition helped establish Survivor as a rising force in the rock scene, setting the stage for their breakthrough with Eye of the Tiger the following year.
🎵 Tracklist
- Chevy Nights
- Summer Nights
- Runaway Lights
- Take You on a Saturday
- Poor Man's Son
- She's a Star
- Shattered
- Premonition
- Light of a Thousand Nights
- Love Is on My Side
🎶 Music Genre
- Arena Rock
- AOR (Album-Oriented Rock)
- Hard Rock
The album features clean production, strong vocal melodies, and guitar-driven arrangements, moving closer to the band’s signature 80s sound.
👥 Credits
Band Members:
- Dave Bickler – vocals
- Jim Peterik – keyboards, guitar, vocals
- Frankie Sullivan – guitar
- Dennis Keith Johnson – bass
- Gary Smith – drums
Production:
- Produced by Kevin Beamish
- Recorded in the United States
🎸 Musical Direction & Sound
Premonition refines Survivor’s sound with tighter songwriting and more commercial appeal:
- “Poor Man’s Son” – standout track with a driving rhythm and catchy chorus, often seen as a precursor to “Eye of the Tiger”
- “Summer Nights” – melodic, radio-friendly rock song
- “Runaway Lights” – energetic track with strong hooks
- “Premonition” – atmospheric title track with layered instrumentation
- “Shattered” – emotional and melodic mid-tempo song
The album emphasizes anthemic choruses, polished production, and accessible songwriting, hallmarks of early 80s arena rock.
🤓 Fun Facts & Trivia
- “Poor Man’s Son” became one of the band’s first songs to receive significant radio airplay.
- The album marked a transition toward the sound that would define Survivor’s biggest hits.
- It gained more commercial attention than their debut album.
- The band’s songwriting partnership between Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan became more refined here.
🧠 Did You Know?
- “Poor Man’s Son” was later used in promotional material and gained renewed attention after the success of “Eye of the Tiger.”
- Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan would go on to write some of the band’s biggest hits together.
- The album helped the band get noticed by filmmakers, leading to their involvement with the Rocky III soundtrack.
- Producer Kevin Beamish contributed to the album’s cleaner, more radio-friendly sound.
- Premonition is often seen as the bridge between Survivor’s early raw sound and their polished commercial peak.
🏁 Cultural Legacy
Premonition played a crucial role in Survivor’s rise, showcasing their transition into a polished arena rock band. It laid the foundation for their global breakthrough and remains an important step in their musical evolution.
Download album from Amazon Music Store
Survivor Full Discography: Complete Guide to Albums & Covers Collection (1979--2006)
More Albums:
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (1982)
Survivor - Caught in the Game (1983)
Survivor - Too Hot to Sleep (1988)
